Process op and apparatus for the continuous refining of lubricating oils



F. W. MANNING PROCESS OF AND, APJPA OF LUBRICATING April 15, 1930.

RATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS REFINING OILS OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES- 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Nov. 10, 1926 fz ozyzfyd.

F. W. MANNING PROCESS OF- AND ABPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS REFINING OF LUBRICATING OILS OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 15, 1930. I Original Filed Nov. 10, 1926 Re. 17,644

1 v I I [if I Fred WMa/zrmgq F. w. MANNING PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS REFINING 0F LUBRI CATING OILS OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES 3 Sheets-Sheet b ezz for fled 72.72527 Original Filed Nov 10, 1926 April 15, 1930.

Reissued Apr. 15, 1930 UNITED STATES FRED W. MANNING, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, iBY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO STEWART-WARNER CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A.

CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS-FOR THE CONTINUOUS REFINING OF LUBRICATING OILS OF INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Original No. 1,729,746, dated October 1, 1929, Serial No. 147,481, filed November 10, 1926. Application for reissue filed November 27, 1929. Serial No. 410,272.

This invention relates to the treatment of liquids for effecting their purification or other desired improvement-s in their characteristics, but more particularly it relates to a method and means for the continuous purification of lubricating oils of internal combustion engines during operation, by distillation,

clarification, decolorization, or other treatment.

It is Well known that during the operation of an internal combustion engine, the lubricating oil becomes contaminated with solid impurities such as road dust, metal and carbon particles, and the abrasive action of these impurities is often accentuated by dilution of the lubricating oil caused by the addition of fuel oil entrained with the explosive mixtures, or which condenses out of the mixture when the engine is cold in starting, or by water resulting chiefly from the condensation of'the burned gases especially when the engine is cold. The liquid fuel and water leak or are blown past the pistons and may carry down into the crank case more or lessof solid impurities, othersolid impurities enter the lubricating system through the breather and from other sources. a

, Present practice is to eliminate the solid impurities, such as metal particles, road dust, etc., by constantly by-passing a portion of the oil from the lubricating system through a filter medium whose texture or porosity is incapable of completely retaining the fine carbon, and then returning the partially purified oil to the crank case reservoir to be mixed with the contaminated oil escaping from the parts lubricated. The incomplete elimination of the carbon, results in the constant deterioration of the oil, and this deterioration is often made more rapid by dilution. Finally the oil must be completely discarded.

It is therefore an object of this invention to continuously eliminate the carbon residue re.-

sulting from decomposition ofthe less valuable elements of the oil, and by also eliminating the other solid and liquid contaminations to constantly improvc'the value of the oil, and thereby make any waste or drainage of the oil unnecessary.

It is a further object of this invention to decrease the decomposition of oil in the cylinders and the resulting carbon residue, and to completely refine the oil before any of it reaches the parts to be lubricated.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention will be understood by reference to the following description, taken in con- J junction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred form of apparatus for carrying out my invent-ion.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is .a side elevation of an internal combustion engine showing the relative positions of the refining devices. F 1g., 2 is an end view of an engine showmg the exhaust manifold distillation apparatus. the water pump, and drip pan chambers,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end view of an engine showing the drip pan chamber and electric distillation apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the magazine filter and oil feeding device.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the oil feeding device.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic arrangement of the wiring connections for the electric distillation apparatus.

Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the by-pass arrangement-between the oil filter pump and the oil distribution pump discharge lines.

Referring more specifically to the drawings by reference characters:

Figs. 1, 2, and 3 show several views of a four-cylinder engine in which 1 is the intake manifold, 3 the exhaust manifold, 5 a primary reservoir for new oil and the purified oil from the refining devices. and 7 a secondary reservoir for the contaminated oil escaping from the parts lubricated. The lower end of piston 9 is closed by plate 11 which may be attached in halves to facilitate the attachment ofthe upper end of the connecting rod to the piston. The lower end of cylinder 13 is enclosed by drip pan 15 and both plate 11 and drip pan'15 have elongated slots to allowforthe angular movement of the connecting rod and between them and attached to the connecting rod is a vapor dcflectiiig plate 17. The cylinder walls are lubricated bymeans of a thermostatically loo controlled oil passage 18 running lengthwise through the connecting rod which throws the oil onto the walls from openings in the connecting rod situated between piston plate 11 and deflecting plate 17. Pipe line 19 connects the drip pan to the drain manifold 21 in the lower portion of which is placed an electric hot plate 23 thermostatically controlled to a constant heat. The drain manifold is connected, directly below the hot plate, to the secondary reservoir. and directly above the hot plate, to the air intake pipe 25 by means of connection 27. I

Filter pump 29 and distributing pump 31, are both driven by the engine through shaft 33. Pump 29 delivers the contaminated oil from the bottom of the secondary reservoir through pipe 34 to the filter 35 and distributmg pump 31 delivers the purified oil from the bottom of the primary reservoir through pipe 37 to the parts to be lubricated. An overcharge of new or refined oil into the'prilnary reservoir will result in an overflow through pipe 39 into the secondary reservoir, and ,an insuflicient supply. of oil in the primary reservoir for the bearings with resulting drop in pressure, will immediately cause the bypass valve 41 between the discharge lines of the two pumps to open and allow the discharge line 37 of the distributing pump to be supplied by the discharge line 34 from the filter pump. The by-pass valve may be placed in valve body 44 in the filter discharge line and the by-passed oil discharged through line 52 into the pure oil distribution line, and the pressure at which the valve opens may be regulated by spring 46 and adjusting nut 48 as shown in Figure 7.

Distillation apparatus 43 is placed in the exhaust manifold and the gases deflected through its bafiled portion 45 may be regulated by damper 47. The filtered oil, coming from the filter from which the dilution is to be removed, enters the annular middle portion 49 surrounding the path for the exhaust gases, and is maintained at a constant heat by means of the water circulation through theouter jacket 51, the temperature of which is controlled by thermostat in a customary manner not shown, and after passing through the distillation chamber flows 'by gravity through-pipe line into the primary reservoir. Water pump 57 maintains the necessary circulation of coolingcfiuid through the engine jacket, pipe line 40,. regulating jacket 51, and the return pipe line 42. The distilled vapors are carried by a very low suction through pipe 56 into the air intake pipe 25 or may be connected to, and allowed to escape through the exhaust manifold. A mechanical agitator driven by the incoming oil, may be placed in the distillation chamber.

Fig. 4 shows the magazine filter described in patent application Serial No. 117,045, filed June 19th, 1926, consisting of a filter casing through the passage 69. The top cover 167 is bolted to the cowl 100 by bolts 101 and is made tight to the filter casing by a cap nut 102, and the -,pipe 103, extending axially through the casing and refill cylinder and screwed into the bottom of the sump 35, which terminates the casing at the lower end; and by the same means the perforated refill cylinder is also held in position by being engaged between the upper end of the casing and the cover 167.

The refill cylinder obtains further support in the casing by means of a bottom plate 105, which is lodged on an interior shoulder 59, of the casing.

The oil enters the filter chamber from the pipe 34, through the inlet 106, and the annular space 107, around the axial pipe 103, Y

which is afforded by stopping short the hub 110*, of the spool, 110, which is mounted rotatably on said pipe.

The oil enters said'pipe 103, through the ports of which one is seen at 103, and flows down through the pipe and out into the casing filling the tral opening in the plate 105, into the space between the spool 110, and the filtrate wind-' forated refill cylinder 67. The free flow windings are preferably removable, and both the free flow and clear filtrate windings may be removed from the annular rolls constituting the filter members, and rolled up upon sump and rising through the centhe same winding spool 69 as they become contaminated, The oil will pass through the j free flow windings at sufli'oient speed to sup ply all the bearings, and its speed through the clear filtrate windings although much slower will be suificient to maintain the oil as it is pumped to the bearings, practically free from carbon and at constant clarity. If desirable, clear filtrate windings may be placed at the back of the free flow windings next the perforated refill cylinder, to polish up the Oil after most of the solid contaminations have been removed by the free flow windings. The sealing means for the outer ends I uring device screwed into the primary reser-.

inner ends indicated respectively at 63 and 65 consist of a cementing material, such as shellac, lacquer, varnish, etc., and a filter material, such as asbestos, cotton linters, wood pulp, etc. Such a composition has. suificient resiliency not to crack when subject to cold oil and the vibrations of the car, will give absolute clarity to any oil that may pass through the sealing means, if it should soften when subject to hot oil, and at all times it will allow the windings to be removed from the annular roll under a slight tension and without danger of tearing the fabric. The cementing and filtering material is preferably mixed together before being applied to the ends of the windings, but may be applied separately. The sealing means may also consist of suitable filter pads of the same material as theclear filtrate windings attached by-ce-menting material to the outer ends of the windings and a similar pad may be placed between the inner ends of the windings.

As the clogging of the windings is mostly due to carbon residue resulting from the carbonizing of the oilby .the heat of the engine, the speed with which the contaminated windings is removed and wound upon the storage spoohshould be proportional to the amount of fresh oil introduced into the primary reservoir. Such an arrangement is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. As no oil is ever drained or discarded, andjas provision is made to decrease the consumption of oil by the engine to a minimum, a small container or measvoir, will serve to introduce fresh oil when required. This container consists of a pressed steel. shell 71 having a bottom valve plate 75 upon which is seated valve disc 77, and top coveror valve plate 79 upon which is seated the upper valve disc, 811,. Both valve plates constitute a support for valve rod 83, and

the openings through the valve plates and discs are arranged so that the outlet opening into the primary reservoir is closed when the inlet openings in the top valve plate and valve disc are coincident to admit new oil.. A complete turn of the valve rod will then have to be made before another similar measure of oil can be poured into the primary reservoir. lVheel and spring press pawl 87, prevent the valve rod being turned except in the desired direction and the turning is accomplished by hand wheel 89; The filter wind- I ing spool is operated by the valve rod through .gears 91 and 9S, cone 95 and driving disc 97,

the latter sliding downwardly over feather key 99 as the windings are removed. The cone has recesses running spirally around it into which the driving disc pins 98 mesh and this arran ement makes possible the removal of the con aminated windings-at a constant linear speed and in direct ratio with the intrmluction of new oil. Theposition of the driving disc in relation to the cone indicates when the filter will have to be charged with a new refill, after which charging the disc may be slipped upwardly to its first position.

Fig. 6 shows how the electric distillation apparatus may be connected up to the igni-.

tion switch. Storage battery 101 is connected by main feed wire 103 to the starting switch 105 of the motor 107, and the starting switch is connected by wiring 109to ammeter 111. The animeters opposite terminal is connected by wiring 113 to the generator 115 and also by wiring 117 to ignition key 119, and the ignition key is connected by wiring 121 to ignition coil 123 and also by wiring 125 to the hot plate 127.

The operation of the apparatus thus constructed has been in part indicated in connection with the foregoing description. EX- cessive carbonization of the oil above, or on the inside of the piston, is prevented by lubricating the cylinder walls through the thermostatically controlled oil passage in the reservoir, and the vapors are drawn by low.

suction throu h connection 27 into. the air intake pipe. he oil in the secondary reservoir may be further contaminated by metal particles carried down by oil escaping from other parts lubricated, and also by water resulting from the condensation of atmospheric vapor.

Pump 29 forces the oil from the secondary reservoir through pipe line 84 to the filter where the solid contami-nations 'are eliminated by means of the free flow and the clear filtrate windings. Any carbon that may pass through the free flow windings will be intercepted later on by the clear filtrate wind- 1H s. by gravity through pipe line61 to distillation chamber 49 where it is subject to a constant temperature by means of a thermostatically controlled water circulation through an outer annular jacket. The oil from which both solid and liquid contaminations have now been removed, flows by gravity to the'primary reservoir for new and refined oil, from which it is pumped to the parts to be lubricated. I

It will be evident from the foregoing description that the continuous refining of a sufiicient supply of oil to lubricate all the until after it reaches the moving parts, should very greatly increase the life, of the engine The filtrate on leaving the filter flows v by the engine.

It-will furthermore be evident that the lubrication of the cylinders by a definite amount of oil from the moment the engine is first turned over, will not only prevent the scoring of cold pistons and cylinders but will alsoconsiderably decrease the Consumption of oil and resulting deposition of carbon.

It will also be seen that an electrical distillation apparatus would be a very convenient method for distilling the dilution in a motor used for short runs around town, where sufiicient heat might not be supplied by an exhaust manifold distillation apparatus.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An apparatus for the purpose indicated comprising a reservoir for the liquid to be filtered connected for delivery of said liquid thereinto, a magazine filter containing i reserve of filter material, and means whereby the contaminated filter material is removed in direct ratio with the introduction of new oil into said reservoir.

2. In a filter, a filter member consisting of a free flow section and a clear filtrate section, a portionof said clear filtrate section being removable.

3. In a filter, a filter member consisting' of a free flow section and a clear filtrate section, a portion of eachsection with the solids collected thereby being removable.

' 4. As an article of manufacture, a filter member for a magazine filter, said member comprising a plurality of layers of filter material, means sealing the edges of said layers against the entrance of solids, said sealing means consisting of a cementing and a filtering material.

5. An apparatus for the purpose indicated comprising a reservoir for the liquid to be filtered connected for delivery of said liquid thereinto, a sourcefrom which the contaminated liquid to be filtered is derived through said connection, a magazine filter devicein said reservoir, said filter containing a reserve of filter material and rotatable for removing said contaminated filter material to bring the reserve into operation for filtering, a measuring container connected and arranged for predetermined movement to efi'ect delivery of its measured content to said source, means for giving said container said predetermined movement, and operating connections from said means to the magazine for rotating the latter to remove the contaminated filtermaterial and bring the reserve into operation in d'rect ratio to said movement of the containe -operating means.

6, In the construction defined in'claim 5, the operating connections from the containeroperating means to the magazine comprising a conical spiral gear element operatively connected for rotating the magazine, and a spur gear member mounted for rotation by the container-operating means and meshing with said conical spiral gear element.

7. In a filtering apparatus, in combination 6 with a chamber arranged to receive the liquid to be filtered, a filter member in said chamber consisting of two or more sections of varying porosity, one section being adapted to retain only the coarser solid impurities, another section being adapted to retain the finer as well as the coarser solid impurities, a portion of the said other section being removable, said sections being arranged relatively to each other in the chamber for exposure to the liquid to be filtered at different parts of the extent of said chamber, whereby one part of the liquid entering the chamber is filtered by the first -mentioned section and another part by the second mentioned section.

8. A filtering process which consists in repeatedly circulating a liquidin a closed system, dividing the flow in the system and passing a comparatively large portion of the liquid through a porous filtering material, and a smaller portion through a filtering material of lesser porosity, and reuniting the two flows after their passage through the filter materials.

9. A filtering process which consists in repeatedly circulating a liquid in a closed system, dividing the flow in the system and passing a comparatively large portion of the liquid through a porous filtering material and a smaller portion through a filtering material of lesser porosity, reuniting the two flows after their passage through the filter materials, and removing the liquid inlet surface of the filtering material of lesser porosity to providediresh filtering surface to the liquid to be filtered. 1

10. As an article of manufacture, a filter member fora magazine filter, said member comprising a plurality of layers of filter material, means sealing the edges of said layers against the entrance of solids, said sealing means consisting of a mixture of shellac and fibrous materia 11. The combination of a reservoir for permit new liquid to be introduced into the reservoir and simultaneously cause liquid to pass through only a selected portion of the filter material.

.., .sii.)

13. The combination of a reservoir for liquid to be filtered, a filter containing filter material, said filter connected to receive liquid from said reservoir, and means oper able to permit new liquid to be introduced into the reservoir and simultaneously cause the filter materialto be renewed.

14. The combination of a reservoir for liquid to be filtered, a filter containing a magazine of filter material arranged to receive liquid from the reservoir for filtering by passage through filtering material of the magazine; means for removin from time to time from the path of the liquid through the magazine contamination filtered out from the previously passing liquid, for presenting to the incoming liquid uncontaminated filter material; means controlling access to the reservoir for supplying it with liquid, operatively associated with the first. mentloned means, for removing the contamination in the process of opening the reservoir for renewing the liquid supply.

15. Theconstruction defined in claim 14, the filterin material and the means for removi it eing arranged to present in the path 0 the liquid through said filtering material only filtering material which is devoid of contamination.

16. The combination of a reservoir for liquid to be filtered, a filter containing a vmeans for removing contamination simultaneously with replenishing the liquid su FRED W. MANN 

